Putting their bodies on the line: pensioners take their protest against the federal Budget to the streets yesterday. Picture: Peter Ward MELBOURNE
Herald Sun By Kelly Ryan
May 17, 2008
NEARLY nude nannas - and at least one grandpa - dared to undress in the city centre yesterday to protest what they believe are paltry pensions.
True to their threat, er, promise, the pensioners stripped down to their underwear, stopping traffic and clogging a city intersection to highlight their financial plight.
Inspired by the spontaneous shirtless city sit-in by taxi drivers a fortnight ago, hundreds of members of the blue-rinse brigade demanded larger pensions, complaining they had been ignored in this week's federal Budget.
Organiser Shirley Grant was stunned by the turn-out as placard-waving and chanting senior citizens took over the steps of Flinders St station.
Banners read "It doesn't pay to grow old" and "A fair go for pensioners".
They remained mostly clothed and orderly on the steps of Flinders St station until one of them, a retired policeman known as John of Bayswater, ran into the middle of the Swanston St intersection, where he quickly stripped down to his jocks.
When police politely moved in to order him to dress, dozens of chanting protesters rushed to join him, with several women removing blouses to bare their bras.
"We are struggling and we don't get a fair go on $270 a week," John said.
"Stop treating criminals like celebrities and pensioners like criminals.
"Pensioners are the silent majority and they are crapped on all the time."
Realising all cameras were pointing at him, John said: "My wife will be cringing at home in horror."
The protesters want between $70 and $100 more a week.
Family First senator Steve Fielding joined the protesters and also went shirtless.
Another man said an inadequate pension forced him to live extremely frugally.
"I can't afford to go anywhere. I'm stuck at home most of the time. I struggle to feed myself and I struggle to pay my debts," he said.
"It's very, very hard, and the politicians get their pensions when they retire and live like kings and queens.
"They get a hundred times more than we do and yet the ordinary pensioners of this country work harder than any politician every could.
"We built this country and they throw us in the gutter and they tell us that we're worth nothing and they treat us like we don't belong here. It's wrong and we need to get a fair go."
President of the Combined Pensioners of Victoria Bruce Baxter was delighted with the turn-out and warned more was to come.
"We are really starting to get organised like we've never been organised before," Mr Baxter said.
"We are now talking to the Trades Hall Council and the ACTU and are going to ask them to help us out.
"It's starting to build now to where there is no stopping it.
"Unless the Government comes to the party and gives us an increase as far as the pension is concerned, more and more of this will go on.
"We're on the march."
© Herald and Weekly Times
